Laughter yoga combines simple laughter exercises (simulated laughter) and gentle yoga breathing, which turns into real laughter when practiced in a group. Yoga teaches that the mind and body are linked by breath.

In laughter yoga, "laughter" is used as a form of breath work and an invitation to breathe deeper into the abdomen. It gently expands the lung capacity by increasing abdominal breathing. It effectively flushes the 2/3 of "stale air" that most people unknowingly keep inside.

Whether your laugh becomes real or not does not really matter. The body can not tell the difference between real and simulated laughter. Either kind of laughter produces the same "happy" body chemistry. However, you will find when you experience laughter yoga that laughter is very contagious, and soon any forced laughter flows naturally, fed by the interactions with other people in the group.